The role of foreigners in the succession struggles in seventeenth century Ayutthaya

Abstract

During the time period that Anthony Reid has called “The Age of Commerce” in Southeast Asia; Ayutthaya attracted an increasing number of merchants and developed into a significant port on the intra-Asian trade route and true cosmopolitan city. Many of these merchants settled in Ayutthaya and formed distinct communities with the preexisting merchants and mercenaries within Ayutthaya and on the outskirts of the city. The increased commerce by these foreign merchants also resulted in a significant expansion of Ayutthaya’s civil administration and a corresponding increase in the number of foreigners employed within the bureaucracy. By the seventeenth century, some foreigners had amassed enough wealth and manpower that they were considered khunnang (nobles) and became critical participants in and frequently determine the outcome of the royal succession conflicts in seventeenth century Ayutthaya. The objective of this research is to study the structural and circumstantial factors associated with the royal succession struggles during the seventeenth century in Ayutthaya as well as compare and contrast the roles and involvement of foreigners in the 1628-1629 and the 1688 royal succession conflicts.